The Epistle of Second Corinthians
Lesson Number 25
TRANSLATION LEGEND: AMPLIFIED or AMP = Amplified Bible, (1965), ASV=American Standard Version (1901), BBE=Bible in Basic English (1949), DRA=Douay-Rheims (1899), ESV=English Stand Version (2001), IE = International English, ISV = International Standard Version (1967), KJV=King James Version (1611), LIVING = Living Bible (1971), MONTGOMERY = Montgomery’s New Testament (2001), NAB=New American Bible (2002), NASB=New American Standard Bible (1977), NAU=New American Standard Bible (1995), NIB=New International Bible, NIV=New International Version (1984), NJB=New Jerusalem Bible (1985), NKJV=New King James Version (1979), NLT=New Living Translation (1996), NRSV=New Revised Standard Version (1989), PHILLIPS = J B Phillips New Testament (1962), RSV=Revised Standard Version (1952), TNK=JPS Tanakj (1985), Webster=The Webster Bible (1833),WEYMOUTH=Weymouth’s New Testament (1903), WILLIAMS = William’s New Testament (1937), TYNDALE= Tyndale’s Bible (1526), WYCLIFFE= Wycliffe New Testament (1382), YLT=Young’s Literal Translation (1862).
LEXICON LEGEND: FRIEBERG=Friberg Lexicon, UBS=UBS Lexicon, LOUW-NIDA=Louw-Nida Lexicon, LIDDELL SCOTT=Liddell Scott Lexicon, THAYER=Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
THE RECONCILIATION
“ 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor 5:18-21)
INTRODUCTION
Paul has affirmed that his ministry was initiated by the Lord Jesus Himself, and was in strict accord with the will of God. “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” (2 Cor 1:1). That ministry was attended by the “comfort wherewith” he himself “was comforted of God” (2 Cor 1:4). While engaged in this good work “the sufferings of Christ” abounded in Him, together with a certain “consolation” which also “aboundeth through Christ” (2 Cor 1:5). The purpose of his suffering was in order for “the salvation and consolation” of those to whom, he ministered (2 Cor 1:6). It was also “helped” along by the prayers of the saints (2 Cor 1:11).
Because of the very nature of the work of the Lord, it was imperative that certain things characterize Paul’s ministry. The presence of these things confirmed that he was, in fact, laboring together with God (1 Cor 3:9), and was a worker “ together with Him” (2 Cor 6:1), as he claimed. Allow me to rehearse these things once again. It will set the stage for the great proclamations of our text, and contribute to a wholesome view of what is involved in serving the Lord.
☛ His conscience confirmed that he lived before the people “in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God” (2 Cor 1:12).
☛ He neither preached nor wrote things the people could not understand, but put the truth of the Gospel within their reach (2 Cor 1:13).
☛ He preached a consistent message – not one that was a mixture of “Yes” and “No” (2 Cor 1:19-10).
☛ His message focused upon the good “promises of God,” by which we become partakers of the Divine nature (2 Cor 1:20; 2 Pet 1:4).
☛ God established and anointed both himself and those who received his message (2 Cor 1:21-22).
☛ He did not exercise dominion over the faith of the people, but was a helper of their joy (2 Cor 1:24).
☛ He dealt clearly and concisely with the sin that had broken out in Corinth (2 Cor 2:1-11).
☛ He was a sweet savor of Christ unto God in both those who were being saved, and those who were perishing (2 Cor 2:15-16).
☛ He did not corrupt the Word of God, but spoke in Christ in the sight of God (2 Cor 2:17).
☛ His sufficiency was of God (2 Cor 3:5).
☛ God made him an able minister of the New Covenant (2 Cor 3:6).
☛ He was not a minister of the letter, but of the Spirit (2 Cor 3:6).
☛ He preached with godly candor, forthrightness, and great boldness (2 Cor 3:12).
☛ He did not conceal what God had revealed (2 Cor 3:13).
☛ Although he faced great and sore troubles, he did not faint (2 Cor 4:1).
☛ He renounced “the hidden things of dishonesty” (2 Cor 4:2a).
☛ He did not walk “in craftiness,” or handle “the Word of God deceitfully” (2 Cor 4:2b).
☛ By setting forth the truth plainly, he commended himself to every man’s conscience in the sight of God (2 Cor 4:2c).
☛ He did not preach himself, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and himself a servant for Jesus’ sake (2 Cor 4:5).
☛ Both the dying and life of Jesus was made known in his body (2 Cor 4:10-11).
☛ He spoke because he had believed (2 Cor 4:13).
☛ He did not look at temporal things, but at eternal things, which occupied his vision (2 Cor 4:18).
☛ He knew the established purpose of God, and shaped his ministry around it (2 Cor 5:1-5).
☛ He was willing to be absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8).
☛ He labored to be accepted by God (2 Cor 5:9).
A SUITABLE CONTEXT
These conditions provide the literary context for the affirmations of our text. Within their framework, the matters Paul now declares have great relevance. Outside of that setting, they have little or no relevancy at all.
When religious men begin to operate by an institutional agenda, or for the praise of men and self aggrandizement, Christ, the Gospel, and the New Covenant at once are pushed into the background. There is no alternative, for Christ, the Gospel, and the New Covenant will not serve the purposes of men. They are only relevant to people who are “laborers together with God” (1 Cor 3:9), denying themselves, taking up their cross, and following Jesus (Matt 16:24).
The closer one lives toward the world, the more prominent things that are “seen” become, taking hold of both heart and mind. As soon as a person begins focusing on things that are “temporal,” things that are “eternal” fade from view, spirituality melts away, and self is seated upon the throne. Under such a circumstance, it is not possible to work out one’s own salvation “with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12)? Something else is added to that scenario – the person who is enamored of “this present evil world” has no interest in perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord (2 Cor 7:1-2), seeking the things that are above (Colo 3:1-2), or anything else that is related to laying hold on eternal life. If one insists on being dominated by the things pertaining to this world, it is not possible to avoid this apathetic and indifferent condition.
Let me be clear about what I am saying. The reason Paul speaks so differently from the preachers and teachers of our day is that he was operating according to another agenda, and was driven by differing principles. He had chosen a course of life, and a subject for exposition, that absolutely required Jesus, the Gospel, and the New Covenant. They were not novelties to him. The kind of life he was living, preaching, and promoting necessitated looking into the face of Jesus, and being changed from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18). Let it be clear, there is no such thing as a valid Christian life that can be lived independently of moral and spiritual change – a change that is wrought by the Holy Spirit while we look upon Jesus with an “open,” or unveiled, face.
The grace of God was essential to the fulfillment of Paul’s ministry – as it is with every valid ministry. The Gospel of Christ was the theme of his exposition, and the New Covenant was the framework in which it was presented. The earth, together with its various relationships, never was the context of Paul’s preaching or writing. Kingdom realities were not novelties for him. He really did “live by every word of God” (Lk 4:4). This is the Kingdom “norm.” It is the manner in which labors are expended for Christ. There is really no other acceptable spirit or attitude that is possible to possess “in Christ.”
ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD
“ 5:18a And all things are of God . . . ”
Ordinarily speaking, men are very hesitate to ascribe everything to God. With great caution, those who are unschooled in the text of Scripture are very careful to make plenty of room for the working of Satan, men, and “mother nature.” By this cautious approach, they think they are somehow protecting God, whom they cannot conceive is capable of doing things that inconvenience humanity, or are hurtful and even devastating. However, there is no need for us to bend and sway with the wind of human opinion, for the Spirit has spoken quite clearly concerning the workings of the Lord, as well as His absolute sovereignty over the affairs of all created realms, and those who dwell within them.
ALL THINGS
“And all things . . . ” Other versions read, “Now all things,” NKJK “Now all these things,” NASB “All this,” NIV “But all things,” ASV “It is all,” NJB “All this newness of life,” NLT “and the all things,” YLT “All these new things,” LIVING “Everything,” IE and “This has all.” WILLIAMS
At some point, God’s people must be brought to think in terms of “all things” – everything!
☛ “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee” (Neh 9:6).
☛ “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:24-25).
☛ “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:3).
☛ “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev 4:11).
When we speak of the Lord and “His Christ,” we are at once in the arena of “all things.” There is nothing that is not under Their feet, subject to Them, and over which They do not have absolute authority and power. There is no such thing as something or someone who is not subject to God, and over which God does not exercise absolute control.
ARE OF GOD
“ . . . are of God . . . ” Other versions read, “are from God,” NASB “is from God,” NIV “are of the God,” DARBY “is all God’s work,” NJB “comes from God,” IE “originated with God,” WILLIAMS and “is God’s doing.” PHILLIPS
Establising Divine Sovereign
First, it is important to establish that if God Himself, and the Lord Jesus Christ, whom He has invested with all power, are not truly over all things, salvation cannot be effected among men. If there is any domain, good or evil, that can function independently of God, there is no hope of anyone being saved. If there is such a thing as a will – be it of a spirit or a man – that is free to operate without regard to the Living God, then salvation is nothing more than a myth, and there is no truth to it. That is what I intend to prove.
A Sovereign God Is Declared
The very concept of “salvation” postulates the absolute superiority of the One who is doing the saving. Further, there really is no such thing as a rule that is not operative, or superiority that is non-functional. Such a thought is an absurdity. If there is someone or something that can execute their will without it going through the throne of heaven, then God is not God, and Jesus cannot possibly be a Savior.
What motivates anyone to speak of the will and freedom of men in preference to the will and freedom of God? How is it that any person would speak of man being free to choose, and not of God’s right to do so? Where is such a doctrinal approach ever taken in Scripture. Do men imagine that if we speak of Divine Sovereignty we have somehow neutralized human volition, reducing men to nothing more than robots? Does the fact that God does whatever He wills really reduce men to mere thoughtless toys, as some suggest?
The truth of the matter is that God is Sovereign – absolutely autonomous and freely operating within the confines of His own inscrutable will. His purposes are not the amalgamation of the will of His creation and His own will, and is nowhere held forth in such a manner.
God Is Over All
I want to press this point because it is pivotal to the development of this text. There is a level at which everything can be traced to God Himself.
☛ “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for ALL that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as Head above ALL. Both riches and honor come of Thee, and Thou reignest over ALL; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto ALL” (1 Chron 29:11-12).
☛ “The LORD hath made ALL things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Prov 16:4).
☛ “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and He changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding” (Dan 2:20-21).
☛ “How great are His signs! and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation” (Dan 4:3).
☛ “And ALL the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?” (Dan 4:35).
☛ “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matt 6:13).
☛ “And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He himself gives ALL men life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live” NIV (Acts 17:25-26).
☛ “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are ALL things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom 11:36).
☛ “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are ALL things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are ALL things, and we by him” (1 Cor 8:6).
☛ “One God and Father of ALL, who is above ALL, and through ALL, and in you ALL” (Eph 4:6).
☛ “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by Him were ALL things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: ALL things were created by Him, and for Hm: And He is before ALL things, and by Him ALL things consist”(Col 1:15-17).
☛ “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (Rev 21:6).
God Causes Things to Happen
Whether it is holy angels, the devil and his angels, or men, God can restrain them at will. He can also move men to do His will, fulfilling His good, pleasure.
☛ He can stop the devil from harming Job, and demand that he does not kill him (Job 1:12; 2:6), and Satan cannot but obey Him!
☛ If He wants the king’s heart to be changed, He will turn it like the rivers of waters (Prov 21:1).
☛ If He wants to harden Pharaoh’s heart – or anyone else – He will (Ex 4:21; 7:3; 14:4; Rom 9:18).
☛ If He wants to harden the hearts of the Egyptians to follow Israel after they have pled for them to leave, He will (Ex 14:8,17).
☛ If He wants to harden the spirit of Sihon king of Heshbon, so that he will not let Israel pass through His land, He will, in order that He might deliver him into Israel’s hand (Deut 2:30).
☛ If He wants to stir up an adversary to Solomon because of his disobedience, He will (1 Kgs 11:14).
☛ If He wants to call for a bumper crop of corn in the midst of a famine, He will, and none can hinder Him (Ezek 36:29).
☛ He can cause it to rain, causing the world to be destroyed a flood (Gen 7:4; 2 Pet 2:5).
☛ He can cause a building project in the plain of Shinar to come to a grinding halt (Gen 11:8).
☛ God can cause it to rain on one city, and not rain on the other: to rain on one piece of ground, and not rain on another piece (Amos 4:7).
☛ He can burn up great cities at will (2 Pet 2:6).
☛ He “caused” Sennacherib to “fall by the sword in his own land” (2 Kgs 19:7).
☛ He can “cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease” (Isa 13:11).
☛ God can take people who “amend” their ways, and “cause” them to dwell where He wants them (Jer 7:3).
☛ He can disperse His own people, causing them to be removed into the kingdoms of the earth (Jer 15:4).
☛ He can “cause” the enemies of His people to plead with them in times of distress (Jer 15:11).
☛ He can “cause” people to know His hand and His might (Jer 16:21).
☛ He can “cause” people to serve their enemies, whether they want to or not (Jer 17:4).
☛ He can “cause” a disobedient people to eat the flesh of their sons and daughters (Jer 19:9).
☛ He can “cause” people to return to the land in which He once placed them, and from which He once ejected them (Jer 30:3).
☛ He can “cause” a person to draw near to Him and approach Him (Jer 30:21).
☛ He can “cause” people to walk in a straight way (Jer 31:9).
In The Matter of Salvation
The dominion of the Lord is particularly made known in the matter of salvation. Divine workings are most evident in the “salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Tim 2:10). A few reminders of this glorious reality will serve to prepare us for what follows.
☛ God draws men to Christ in order to save them (John 6:44-45).
☛ The Lord opens hearts in order that men may properly respond to the Gospel (Acts 16:14).
☛ Conviction is the result of the Spirit’s own work (John 16:8-11).
☛ We are the “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (1 Pet 1:2).
☛ It is “given” to men to believe (Phil 1:29).
☛ Repentance is “given” to us (Acts 5:31; 2 Tim 2:25).
☛ No person can “say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3).
☛ God Himself has placed us in Christ (1 Cor 1:30),
☛ Conversion is described as God causing the light of the knowledge of the glory of God to shine in our hearts (2 Cor 4:6).
☛ We are God’s workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus” for “good works” (Eph 2:10).
☛ God has placed every member of Christ’s body precisely where He has pleased (1 Cor 12:18).
☛ We are “washed,” “sanctified,” and “justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11).
☛ God “makes” a “way of escape” that accompanies every temptation (1 Cor 10:13).
☛ God “is able to make” His people stand (Rom 14:4).
☛ The Lord “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 24).
☛ God is “able to graft” Israel again into the natural olive tree of Abraham (Rom 11:23).
☛ God “is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Cor 9:8).
☛ Jesus is “able to subdue all things unto Himself” (Phil 3:21).
☛ Jesus is “able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him” (Heb 7:25).
☛ The Lord, who “hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).
☛ God can direct our hearts “into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ” (2 Thess 3:5).
☛ God Himself teaches us “to love one another” (1 Thess 4:9).
☛ God “opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).
This brief textual sampling confirms the marvelous extent of “all things” being “of God.” It is ever true that “from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him.] To Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it)” AMPLIFIED (Romans 11:36) .
Particularly in SalvationOur text is generally true of everything – namely that God is somewhere in it, else it could not happen, for He is truly “over all.” However, the particular emphasis here regards the salvation that is in Christ, and experienced within the framework of the New Covenant. This Divine involvement in the entirety of salvation could not possibly be true if He was not Sovereign throughout all domains, whether seen or unseen.
The matters that have been affirmed regarding various aspects of salvation are all here traced back to God.
☛ Being an “epistle of Christ,” written “with the Spirit of the living God” (2 Cor 3:3).
☛ The experience of true “liberty” (2 Cor 3:17).
☛ Being changed “from glory to glory,” by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor 3:18).
☛ Receiving “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Cor 4:6).
☛ Having a heavenly treasure in an earthen vessel (2 Cor 4:7).
☛ Although troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down, yet not distressed, not despairing, not forsaken, and not destroyed (2 Cor 4:8-9).
☛ Experiencing both the dying and the life of Jesus (2 Cor 4:10-12).
☛ Our outward man perishing, while our inward man I s renewed “day by day” (2 Cor 16).
☛ Affliction is working for us a “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor 4:17).
☛ God has wrought us to inhabit our house which is from heaven - -the resurrection body (2 Cor 5:5).
☛ We are a “new creation” in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17).
It is necessary to have a grasp of these realities if we are to benefit from the affirmation that follows. This is not a mere theological statement, but a rehearsal of gracious Divine accomplishments. They will only have relevance as they are associated with our own standing before the Lord. If we insist upon looking at our lives as the mere fulfillment of certain duties, these things will have no relevance to us, and we will not be able to see them. When men choose to focus on their own activities, the things that God has done are perceived as being incidental. They are therefore easily forgotten, and have no place in the thought processes. In such a case, if they are brought up at all, men tend to speculate about them, as though they were of no consequence at all.
As this passage moves along, it will become abundantly evident that we are dealing with holy things – things that have to do with our eternal destiny. Anything that has a lot of God and Jesus in it is, by default, of top doctrinal priority. Also, anything that deals with men becoming righteous also rises to the top of things to be declared.
GOD HAS RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF
“ 18b . . . who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ . . . ”
What follows is the working of the God of whom are “all things.” The clear implication is that this could not possibly have happened if “all things” were not “of God.” If there is any domain over which God does not absolutely and thoroughly preside, what follows could not happen. If there is a single personality over which He does not have the ultimate control, this could not take place. If there are circumstances that are, in fact, completely divorced from Him, and that He does not control, it is not possible for what is now stated to be true.
WHO HATH RECONCILED US
“ . . . who hath reconciled us to Himself . . . ” Other versions read, “who has made us at peace with Himself,” BBE “brought us back to Himself,” NLT and “reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself],” AMPLIFIED
This is something that God has done, accomplished, or caused to happen. It is something that has already been achieved. It only remains for men to realize the benefits of this work.
The Reality of Enmity
There is a certain need for reconciliation, and it is the existence of enmity. Sin not only introduced flaw and weakness, it brought enmity and hostility against God. It pushed man away from God, and put him in war against Him as well. This is clearly proclaimed in Scripture, as well as confirmed in human reactions to God and His law.
☛ WE WERE GOD’S ENEMIES. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom 5:10).
☛ OUR MINDS WERE HOSTILE AGAINST GOD. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom 8:7).
☛ WE WERE DEAD TOWARD GOD. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1).
☛ WE WERE SUBJECTS OF GOD’S WRATH. “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph 2:3).
☛ WE WERE ALIENATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD. “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Eph 4:18).
☛ WE WERE WITHOUT GOD AND WITHOUT HOPE. “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12).
☛ WE WERE ALIENATED FROM, AND ENEMIES TO, GOD IN OUR MINDS. “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled” (Col 1:21).
In order to deliver us from these conditions – darkness, alienation, ignorance, enslavement, and death – absolute Sovereignty was required. All of these domains had to be ultimately governed by God before we could be extricated from them. None of these realms would yield those contained in them to anyone who did not have authority over them! It seems to me that this is obvious enough not to require extensive confirmation. The inferior MUST yield to the superior, else there is really no such things as “superior.” If God is not “over all,” and the Lord Jesus, to whom He has given “all power in heaven and earth,” is not “the one and only Potentate” (1 Tim 6:15), then there can be no such thing as a Savior – particularly “the Savior of all men” (1 Tim 4:10).
“Reconciled Us To Himself”
“ . . . who hath reconciled us to Himself . . . ” Other versions read, “who has made us at peace with Himself,” BBE “Who brought us back to Himself,” NLT and “Reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself.” AMPLIFIED
The word “reconciled” comes from a word that means “to change, to reconcile (those who are at variance), to return into favor with,” THAYER “restoring relationship between God and man, reconcile, change from enmity to friendship,” FRIBERG “to put someone into friendship with God,” UBS and “to reestablish proper friendly interpersonal relations after these have been disrupted or broken.” LOUW-NIDA
Among other things, this confirms the magnitude of the effects of Adam’s sin. Because of his sin “death passed upon all men” (Rom 5:12), “many be dead” (Rom 5:15), “judgment was by one unto condemnation” (Rom 5:16), “judgment came upon all men unto condemnation” (Rom 5:18), and “many were made sinners” (Rom 5:19). There can be no question about the reality of these effects, for they are clearly articulated in Scripture. Sin and its effects are traced back to “one man” (Rom 5:12). The whole race was thrust into enmity, alienation, and hostility at the point of Adam, and none has ever, of himself, been able to rise above Adam in his fallen state.
All of this means that there was a very real enmity between God and humanity. It was a clash of nature – the Divine nature against the fallen nature. What was said of Israel – a race created, chosen, and cultured for God – was true of every offspring of Adam: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:8-9). That was after deliverance, after revelation, after guidance, after preference, and after God’s extensive involvement with them.
Whatever a person chooses to think about the love of God, it is nevertheless true that eventually the wrath of God will be “revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (Rom 1:18). It is still true that “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psa 7:11), and that He has “appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness” by the glorified Christ (Acts 17:31). There is not the slightest chance that man in his natural state, and independent of the grace of God, will be able to survive that time.
This is true greatness, that in a remarkable revelation of His Person, God devised a means by which alienated man could be reconciled. This was in fulfillment of a statement made by a certain “woman of Tekoa” to king David. Her intention was not to speak of the time declared in our text, but God was speaking through her mouth. “For we must needs die, and are as water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth He devise means, that His banished be not expelled from Him” (2 Sam 14:14).
Working through His inscrutable wisdom, and driven by His preference for mercy, God “reconciled us to Himself.” He dealt effectively with the cause of enmity, and removed the condition that made men unacceptable.
Note, this is something that God did, not something that was merely planned. This was part of His “eternal purpose,” to be sure, but it is also something that was, in a very real way, actually achieved. Here, a reality is proclaimed that faith can grasp. It is something in which we can rejoice – something that is honored in heaven.
We are speaking of a reconciliation that has already been achieved. In order for it to be realized, it only needs to be received. From heaven’s point of view, nothing more needs to be done in order for men to be rightfully received by God – brought into peaceful association with Him. However, as we will see, there is more to this than that. There is the matter of participation in the reconciliation that has already been accomplished. There is an experiential accord that is to be realized.
The Newness of Reconciliation
There is something new about reconciliation itself. Prior to Christ, there was fundamental discord between God and man. While there were glimpses of Gospel truth here and there, there was a note of strangeness in them. Hear the Lord as He cries out to wayward Israel: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa 1:18). There is a good sound to that call. However, it also accents the variance between God and man, for there is no need to “reason together” where there is perfect accord. In speaking to the only favored people on the earth – the people who had exclusive access to and benefits from Him – the Lord affirms neither their thoughts nor ways were like His (Isa 55:8-9). In another place, confirming the very real contradiction between man and God, it was said, “God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent” (Num 23:19).
Prior to the Law, the concept of reconciliation was never clearly articulated. Commensurate with the giving of the Law, the Lord began to develop the notion of “reconciliation” or “atonement.” Within the Law and its various ceremonies, these words – “atonement” and “reconciliation,” together with their various derivatives – appear sixty-eight times.
☛ They had to do with the sanctifying, or setting apart, of the priests (Ex 29:33; Lev 16:32; Num 8:12,21), the altar (Ex 29:36-37; Lev 8:15; 16:18).
☛ Atonement for sin (Ex 30:10; 32:30; Lev 4:20,26,31,35; 5:6,10,13,16,18; 6:7,30; 7:7; 16:27,30,34; 19:22; 23:27-28; Num 5:8; 6:11; 15:28; 29:11).
☛ Atonement for the souls of people (Ex 30:15-16; Lev 17:11; Num 31:50).
☛ Atonement for individuals (Lev 1:4; ).
☛ Atonement for the congregation (Lev 8:34; 9:7; 10:17; 16:6,10,11,24; Num 8:19; 15:25; 16:46-47; 25:13; 28:22,30; 29).
☛ Atonement for uncleanness (Lev 12:7-8; 14:18-21, 29,31; 15:15,30)
☛ Atonement for an unclean house (Lev 14:53).
☛ Atonement for the holy place (Lev 16:16-17,20).
☛ Atonement for the sanctuary, the tabernacle, and the altar (Lev 16:33).
☛ Atonement associated with liberty (Lev 25:9)
Sin had brought pervasive defilement, driving a wedge between God and man. This was so extensive that those who served God had to be purified for service. The altar, sanctuary, and tabernacle in which the service was accomplished had to be purified. All sin required atonement. All uncleanness, or defilement, necessitated atonement. Defiled abodes need an atonement. Even liberty had to be initiated by an atonement.
Reconciliation and Atonement
The words “atonement” and “reconciliation” are derived from the same word – both in the Hebrew and in the Greek. The word “atonement” emphasizes the MEANS by which accord is realized. The word “reconciliation” accents the EFFECTIVENESS of the appointed means. In both cases, the objective was to confirm Divine acceptance.
In our text, being “reconciled” has to do with effectively covering the transgression that created the enmity between man and God – by the blood of Christ. It also involves a certain oneness, or accord, that is realized between God and man, which accord is itself a marvelous thing. This reconciliation is thorough, involving men themselves, their role in the Divine economy, the work they do, and the environment in which it is accomplished.
In effect, this reconciliation, because it is thorough and effective, becomes the basis of the New Covenant. The Covenant could not be ratified until a acceptable reconciliation had been made – until all of the requirements for peaceful associations between God and made had been fulfilled. The reconciliation is no more completed when it is received, than the New Covenant is completed when men come into Christ Jesus. Both the reconciliation and the Covenant based upon it, are presently complete in every sense of the word. Nothing can make them more effective or more acceptable. The only question that remains is whether or not that reconciliation, or atonement, is received. To put it another way, in the matter of reconciliation, God can never be more “satisfied” than He was with the travail of Christ’s soul (Isa 53:11). The issue now is whether that atonement, or reconciliation, is received.
BY JESUS CHRIST
“ . . . by Jesus Christ . . . ” Other versions read, “through Christ,” ASV “by Jesus Christ,” DARBY “through what Christ did,” NLT and “He uses Christ.” IE
In God’s great salvation, everything depends upon “Jesus Christ.” Nothing or no one is acceptable to God that is not connected with His Son. This condition is necessitated because of the presence and unquestionable prevalence of sin – something God cannot abide in any form. As simplistic as that may appear, it is mind boggling to consider how much is being done in the Christian community that has no professed or required association with the Son of God – particularly as it regards His death on the cross.
God accomplished the reconciliation through “Jesus Christ.” He, and He alone, successfully dealt with all sin and all consequent uncleanness. By Himself He vanquished the foe, plundered his forces, and raised up a way by which to come to God. Only Jesus has prepared the heavenly places to be inhabited by men. He alone has enabled God to be “just and the Justifier of him” that believes on Him (Rom 3:26).
GIVEN THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
“ 18c . . . and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.”
Here we will see how men have been brought into the purpose of the Lord – made “laborers together with God” (1 Cor 3:9). What God has done in Christ was “for” men, but did not exclude their participation. In the Old Covenant, the people themselves were involved by means of “meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation” (Heb 9:10). The High Priests and priests were also affianced, but that also was at a ceremonial level. However, with the exaltation of Christ, a new thing has taken place, and it is glorious.
HATH GIVEN UNTO US
“ . . . and hath given to us . . . ” Other versions read, “and gave us,” NASB “and gave unto us,” ASV “and given to us,” DARBY “and did give us,” YLT “has appointed us,” WEYMOUTH and “He has made us.” AMPLIFIED
“Us”
The “us” of reference is immediately the Apostles, and generally the church. The Apostles have been set “first” in “the church.” As it is written, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues” (1 Cor 12:28). The Apostles are not the whole church, nor are they the recipients of the all that God has given. They are “first” in the “church,” which is Christ’s body, but they did not labor alone. Paul spoke of those who “labored in the Gospel” with Him (Rom 16:3,9; Phil 4:3). Even this very Epistle, which is an example of handling the “ministry” of reference, comes from “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy” (2 Cor 1:1).
Here, “us” refers to the ones who are presently ministering – Paul and Timothy. However, it is not limited to them, but also refers to the whole of the church, who is the object of all spiritual gifts and kingdom responsibilities. The Apostles themselves were “set in the church” (1 Cor 12:28). The church is the means by which God will receive glory “throughout all ages, world without end” (Eph 3:21).
Jesus once said the Kingdom of heaven “is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods” (Matt 25:14). This distribution is also referred to as the distribution of differing “gifts” (Rom 12:6-8). It is also referred to as Jesus giving “gifts unto men . . . apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Eph 4:8,11). This is, in fact, a summary view of the stewardship that has been given to the church.
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
“ . . . the ministry of reconciliation.” Other versions read, “the work of making peace,” BBE “the task of reconciling people to Him,” NLT “the privilege of urging everyone to come into His favor and be reconciled to Him,” LIVING “the work of bringing people back,” IE “the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him,” AMPLIFIED and “made us agents of reconciliation.” PHILLIPS
Here is the bottom line of all valid ministry: “reconciliation” – reconciliation to God “by Jesus Christ.” God has no ministry, no work, no gift, that is not directly associated with this reconciliation. There are not heavenly involvements that do not have to do with this reconciliation! This is why Jesus is interceding. It is why the Holy Spirit is working within us. It is why the holy angels are ministering to us. It is the reason for the Gospel, and the focus of all spiritual aptitudes.
Everything God is doing among men has to do with reconciling men to Himself – with bringing them into accord with Him, and involving them in His “eternal purpose.” There are no heavenly resources for any other work! Christ’s intercession is not related to any other objective. It is at the point – and only at the point – that earthly circumstances intersect with this purpose, they they qualify for heavenly assistance.
There is a phenomenal amount of “church” activity that has nothing whatsoever to do with reconciliation to God. There are human religious objectives that are an end of themselves, bring glory to men, and create honor for men. However, God has no gifts for such efforts, no strength, no support, no grace, and nowhere represents Himself in such a way. I understand that this is somewhat startling to the institutional mind-set, but it is nevertheless true.
Reconciliation involves more than men being “delivered from this present evil world” (Gal 1:4). There is more to it than the “remission of sins” (Acts 10:43) being “born again” (1 Pet 1:23), and being “added to the church” (Acts 2:47). Those are at the threshold of reconciliation, not at its heart.
Right here is where the “great commission” mentality that dominates the evangelical church is exposed for the gloss that it is. This is the position that affirms the fundamental work of Jesus is bringing people to the point where they are “baptized into Christ” (Gal 3:27) – even though there is not a syllable of Scripture that affirms such a thing.
“Reconciliation” has to do with living in Christ. It is the framework within which holy involvements with God are realized. The life of “reconciliation” is described, or referenced, in a number of different ways. All have to do with life after we are born again – after we have been baptized and added to the church.
☛ WALKING IN THE LIGHT. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
☛ FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST. “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor 1:9).
☛ FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).
☛ LABORING TOGETHER WITH GOD. “For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building” (1 Cor 3:9).
☛ WALKING BY FAITH. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7).
☛ LIVING BY FAITH. “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Heb 10:38).
☛ WALKING IN THE SPIRIT. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal 5:25).
☛ GROWING UP INTO CHRIST IN ALL THINGS. “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Eph 4:15).
☛ KNOWING CHRIST, AND PARTICIPATING IN HIS SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Phil 3:10).
☛ BEING CHANGED FROM GLORY TO GLORY. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor 3:18).
These are only introductory, but they all have to do with “reconciliation” – with being brought into peace and accord with the Living God. The “ministry of reconciliation” includes every gift and aptitude that has been placed within the church. It is all aimed at initiating, developing, and maintaining harmony with God and conformity to the image of Jesus Christ.
The process of “reconciliation” includes everything from forgiveness and justification, to being conformed to the image of God’s Son, and finally being glorified. The purpose of God, according to which we have been “called,” has been revealed. “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified” (Rom 8:29-30). In the strictest sense of the word, “reconciliation” is not complete until we are “ever with the Lord,” for that will be the ultimate unity of God and man. There is no such thing as a “reconciliation” that does not include being conformed to Christ’s image, and finally being glorified – being “like Him” when we “see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
God Himself is devoted to the realization of this purpose. Jesus is interceding to that end. The Holy Spirit is ministering and leading in order that this might be achieved. The holy angels have joined in the work, which is designed to bring the sons home to God, divested of every vestige of Adam, and fully invested with the life and characteristics of Jesus Christ.
The absence of this emphasis is the mother of all backslidding, drawing back, lapses into immortality, indifference, and lukewarmness. When the work of the church is turned outside of itself, everything begins to crumble, shallowness enters, and flesh is given the upper hand. All of the Divine resources have been deposited here – in the church. All of the grace is here. The church alone is being built for “the habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph 2:20). It alone is the means through which principalities and powers are bring tutored in the manifold wisdom of God (Eph 3:10). It is the only body of people through whom God works for the realization of His “eternal purpose.” The church – and only the church – “is the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim, 3:15). Its numbers may swell, but if it is not made suitable as a dwelling place for God, it is all to no avail.
This by no means suggests that it is right to ignore “that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and none should conclude such a foolish thing. Rather, those who remain in darkness will only be reached by those who are actually walking in the light. Those who are ignorant of God will only be reached by those who know Him. A reconciled people will do the work of the Lord, for He, by Divine will, works in them alone.
If a people will walk with God, God will work in them. He will direct and lead them in the doing of the works in which He has appointed for them to walk (Eph 2:10). However, that will only be done within the framework of reconciliation – of a very real accord and unanimity with God. Let no one imagine for a moment that God employs people in His work who do not think like Him. If He delivers people from the world, only a fool will imagine that He will work for good through those who love the world and are conformed to its ways.
GOD WAS IN CHRIST
“ 19a To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself . . . ”
Paul does not take for granted that what God has done in Christ is understood. He now instructs the church more fully on the matter. He is not speaking to lost people who were visiting the church in Corinth, but to “the church of God . . . with all the saints” (2 Cor 1:1). This is a message for the church! In Corinth, this message had been muffled by the carnality, division, and tolerance of worldly ways. In the church of our day it has been muted by institutionalism and all of the evils that it brings. In short, what God has done is not the current point of religious emphasis. Rather, the modern church is speaking of what men have done and ought to do. In view of what God has revealed on this matter, this circumstance cannot be ignored, and woe be to the man who attempts to do so.
“TO WIT”
“To wit . . . ” Other versions read, “that is,” NKJV “namely,” NASB “that,” NIV “how that,” DARBY “For,” DOUAY “I mean,” NJB “When,” IE “We are to tell how,” WEYMOUTH “For it was,” WILLIAMS and “It was.” AMPLIFIED
The words “to wit” are translated from Greek conjunction w`j (ohs). It means “even so, thus, and for instance.” THAYER Other lexical meanings include, “in such a way, in the same way was, like,” FRIBERG “introducing a discourse on how” a thing was accomplished. UBS
In other words, what follows explains HOW God “hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.” He did not do it by commanding that we be reconciled – as He did when He created “the worlds” with His word (Heb 11:3). He did not do it through a moral code, or system of Law, like the Old Covenant. Neither, indeed, is it being accomplished by means of Divine automation – a calculated process in which man himself is not involved.
GOD WAS IN CHRIST
“ . . . that God was in Christ . . . ” Other versions read, “God indeed was in Christ,” DOUAY “in Christ God was,” ESV “in Christ God was,” ISV “it was through Christ that God was,” WILLIAMS “It was God [personally present] in Christ,” AMPLIFIED and “God was in Christ personally.” PHILLIPS
Here is a most marvelous thing: “God was in Christ!” This is a technical distinction that confirms the extensive nature of God’s “great salvation.” Jesus was more than a Representative of God. He was, in a very real sense, “God with us” (Matt 1:23). He was God “manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16). While it is true that Jesus is “the express Image” of God’s Person (Heb 1:3), that is not the point being made in this text. The “fulness of the Godhead” does, indeed, dwell in Christ bodily (Col 2:9), but that is not what is being chronicled in this verse. Paul is not establishing the Deity of Jesus, although He is, as God the Father Himself said, “God” (Heb 1:8).
This is a proclamation of unity – of two Persons perfectly joined together in the execution of a work. Jesus acquainted us with this fact in several of His sayings.
☛ “But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him” (John 10:38). GOD WAS “IN CHRIST.”
☛ “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). GOD WAS “IN CHRIST.”
☛ “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works” (John 14:10). GOD WAS “IN CHRIST.”
☛ “That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me” (John 17:21). GOD WAS “IN CHRIST.”
RECONCILING THE WORLD UNTO HIMSELF
“ . . . reconciling the world unto Himself . . . ” Other versions read, “making peace between the world and Himself,” BBE “And reconciled the world to Himself,” GENEVA “a world reconciling to Himself,” YLT “restoring the world to Himself,” LIVING “bringing the people of the world back to Himself,” IE and “reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” AMPLIFIED
And what was God doing “in Christ?” Jesus said the Father, who was dwelling in Him, was doing “the works.” What was the objective of those works? What ever it was, it involved “the world” – the entirety of Adam’s race. “The world” is appropriately described in a statement Paul made to certain “philosophers of the Epicurians, and the Stoics” from Athens: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). That is “the world” of reference – all who came from Adam. The work of Satan, who dominates the entire world (1 John 5:19) – all of mankind – is successfully addressed in what God was doing “in Christ.” He was not merely “doing good,” or bringing a better “way of life” to humanity. His objective was not to assist men in resolving their difficulties, or to bring them the blessing of health and wealth – as desirable as that may be.
Rather, it was to “reconcile the world unto Himself.” That was His aim, and that is what is accomplished when men come into Christ – reconciliation. That is the objective behind it all: to bring accord between God and men – men who were once “enemies” and “alienated” from God. Now the Spirit will deal more specifically with this reconciliation.
“Reconciling”
This word is in the present active mode, meaning that it is presently being done. While I do not wish to make more of this than is intended by the text, it seems clear to me that this has particular reference to the intercession of Christ. This is part of the reconciliation, as prophesied by Isaiah: “Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out his soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isa 53:12). It is also confirmed in the apostolic writings: “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25).
The meaning here is that Christ’s vicarious death was accepted by God, for He was at work in it. That acceptance is also what validates His intercession.
NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO THEM
“ 19b . . . not imputing their trespasses unto them . . . ”
What did God Himself have to do in order for men to be reconciled to Him? That is what will now be considered. Ordinarily men think of what is required of them, but here the Spirit proclaims something that had to be done by the One doing the reconciling.
NOT IMPUTING
“ . . . not imputing . . . ” Other versions read, “not counting,” NASB “not reckoning,” ASV “not putting,” BBE “not holding,” NJB “no longer counting,” LIVING “not charging,” WEYMOUTH “instead of debiting,” WILLIAMS and “not counting up and holding against.” AMPLIFIED
Here are the facts in the case: “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). And again, “and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:12). There can be no question about this. Therefore, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us . . . If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8,10).
This sin is confirmed by the Law, which stood as a moral sentinel over the human race. After sounding forth its requirements, the Divine objective was realized: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19).
Right here, there is a complicating factor. God, according to His very nature, cannot overlook sin. That is, He cannot treat it as though it did not exist, merely overlooking it. Thus He said of Himself that He “will by no means clear the guilty” (Ex 34:7; Num 14:18). And again, “The LORD . . . will not at all acquit the wicked” (Nahum 1:3). And again, “I will not justify the wicked” (Ex 23:7). Joshua said of the Lord, “He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins” (Josh 24:19).
How, then, will God deal with the matter of human sin – of transgression against Himself? If His nature does now permit Him to overlook the sin of men, how is there any hope of them being reconciled to Him?
Here is the glorious declaration: “not imputing” – not accounting, calculating, computing, or reckoning. Here, it is not what God does with the sinner, but He will do with the sin committed by the sinner. Whatever is involved in men being reconciled to God, if their sin is not brought into the equation of God’s dealings with men themselves, nothing effective will be accomplished. In the ultimate evaluation of them, something is omitted in the calculation – i.e. “not imputing.”
THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO THEM
“ . . . their trespasses unto them . . . ” Other versions read, “their trespasses to them,” NKJV “their trespasses against them,” NASB “men’s sins against them,” NIV “putting their sins to their account,” BBE “to them their offenses,” DARBY “to them their sins,” DOUAY “any ones faults against them,” NLT “men’s transgressions to their account,” WEYMOUTH “men’s offenses against them,” WILLIAMS and “and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them].” AMPLIFIED
Sin will, indeed, be considered, but not in regards to men! The very transgressions they have willingly, and even eagerly, committed, will not be posted to their account. They are still “their trespasses,” but they are not reckoned against them. In His infinite wisdom, God has found a way to deal with sin without it being charged against the ones committing it!
This is at the heart and core of the Gospel message, and contributes to it being “good news,” or “glad tidings of good things” (Rom 10:15). This will be the subject of refreshing elaboration in the words that follow. It will suffice to say here that the Gospel announces something that God will NOT do.
Demonstrations of the Truth
The thought of “not imputing” trespasses to the person committing them should not be strange to us. During His earthly ministry, when He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), Jesus demonstrated this facet of the Divine nature. On one occasion, seeking to snare Jesus with their theological precision, the “scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery.” Placing the poor woman “in the midst” of those to Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest Thou?” (John 8:4-5). John tells us that they did this “tempting Him, that they might have to accuse Him” (John 8:6).
Moses had given